Hidden Ways
by RayJay
Summary: Fate sometimes decides what must happen for the good of all. Things get untwisted even though they might not seem like they will at first when the Inu-tachi, a strange young woman and a youkai lord are all brought together in the calling of 2 jewel shards
1. Chapter One

_**Hidden Ways**_

_By: RayJay_

_Rated: PG-13 (R in a few spots)_

_Couples: Inu/Kag Mir/San_

. . .

_**Chapter One:**_

Legs, strong and firm ran from the beast that was chasing after her for the moment. She swallowed a scream of fear and kept up the fast pace she had set. She needed to out run this youkai. She had to live. She had so much more life ahead of her. _Please protect me Kami-sama..._ she thought as she sprinted under the moonlight, barely ahead of the monster that was chasing her.

. . .

"It's this way! I know it! It's running to the West," Kagome informed Inuyasha as she rode on his back. The hanyou nodded and continued at high speed to catch the creature that possessed the two jewel shards that the miko had sensed. Running just behind him were Miroku and Sango, who were riding together on Kirara.

. . .

"Milord? What is it?" Jaken asked as Sesshomaru's eyes shifted to his open window where the moonlight was shining through. The smell of sakura mixed with blood and the powerful demonic energy he had sensed was more than enough information to tell him that his lands were going to need patrolling. He inwardly smirked; his need to shed blood growing stronger and he cracked his knuckles in anticipation. It had been a few days since his last match. He needed to feel the thick red liquid upon his claws and smell the sheer bliss of murder.

"I must take leave Jaken. Watch over Rin. I shall return," The taiyoukai replied and brushed passed his vassal who was staring at him quite oddly.

_Wonderful. I am stuck with that enigma of a human girl again;_ the toad thought and waddled off to go about his business.

. . .

"It is only a matter of time before you collapse from exhaustion, human..." A malevolent voice boomed from behind Kyoko. That bastard! He was only toying with her!

"Would ya stop yer followin'?! I ain't done nuthin' to ya!" She shouted back. Although she had out run a youkai that had been chasing her for nearly an hour, the most ironic of things happened. She had come this far and nearly escaped with her life and unscathed only to trip over a rock that sent her flying onto her face and sliding across a patch of grass.

"Yes, I can stop my following now. You cannot escape me," The youkai laughed, his massive body slowly coming into the moonlight and out of the shadows. His eyes glowed red and he licked his lips.

"No! Stop! Dontcha eat me! I'm but skin n bones!" Kyoko cried and curled into a fetal position, her preservation instincts dying out and her human nature took hold. She was so afraid she could not move.

"You do look tasty but who said I was going to eat you?"

Kyoko looked up in pure horror and saw the heat and intensity that was radiating in the lusting youkai's eyes as he gazed up and down her mangled body. _Oh Kami-sama! He's gonna RAPE me!_

. . .

"Right there! Right there!" Kagome whispered as softly as she could into Inuyasha's ear. She motioned to Sango to stop Kirara and to keep quiet. Inuyasha froze and let the Japanese high school girl and the kitsune that was perched on her shoulder dismount from his back.

"Why is he standing over that girl?" Sango wondered quietly to everyone, watching as the youkai was circling around a young woman who was trembling.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Now then. Where are those jewel shards, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked and cracked the knuckles in his one hand.

"Inuyasha, before I tell you where those jewel shard are, SAVE THAT POOR GIRL!" Kagome scolded still in a quiet voice but she emphasized her point.

"How many times do we have to go through this? I don't kill youkai just for the sake of mortals," The hanyou spat back stubbornly and crossed his arms in his haori sleeves. His mouth formed a determined line that spoke, I'm going to get my way and there ain't nothin' you guys can do about it.'

Kagome sighed and shook her head, watching as Miroku bopped Inuyasha over the head with his staff. "If you are not going to save the girl, then I will do the righteous thing and save her."

"And then what? Grope her till she passes out houshi?!" Inuyasha growled but then froze, his amber eyes widened and he whirled around.

"Hey! What's wrong-" Shippo started but then also froze when he smelled the air. "Inuyasha? Where is that scent coming from?"

"The youkai. He's going to mate with her." He replied, his expression stern and serious.

. . .

As Sesshomaru drew closer to the two creatures that had trespassed his lands, he also caught he presence of his brother and his group. _This is perfect. I shall rid my lands of many unworthy beings and then claim the tetsusaiga for my very own. I am very fortunate today_, he thought, flying faster. He could already smell the satisfying scent of fresh blood and was ready to be bathed in it.

. . .

"Oh ####!" Inuyasha nearly barked as he whirled in the other direction.

"What is it now, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, getting as impatient as everyone else. He needed to save that girl and get the jewel shards and he was taking his dear sweet time!

"We got company!" Inuyasha roared and drew the tetsusaiga, slashing it in the air as a silver blur rushed passed him, a gust of wind blowing everyone back. The hanyou leapt into the air, blindly attacking his half-brother.

The youkai that was drooling over Kyoko froze and snarled, jumped into the air, just noticing the presence of the two Inuyoukai. Kyoko watched as the two similar looking youkai dueled and then the fight was transformed into a three-way battle when the beast that had been chasing her joined in. Apparently it was every youkai for himself.

"Oh my gosh! It's bad enough when just Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are fighting but now with this youkai, who knows what will happen!" Shippo cried and snuggled tighter into Kagome's arms.

"Come! We must go to a safer place!" Miroku shouted to Sango and Kagome. Kirara transformed into her small state and leapt into Sango's arms as they rushed to find some shelter. It was then that Kagome remembered the young woman who was left out in the open. "Kagome! Where are you going?"

"I have to save that girl!" She shouted over her shoulder and rushed to where she was lying, afraid beyond anything. "Are you alright? Come on! We've gotta go!"

"Behind ya!" Kyoko cried as Sesshomaru was chasing the youkai with jewel shards. The lustful beast flew right by Kagome, nearly slicing her head off in the process. Kagome screamed and fell forward into Kyoko's arms; blood started trickling down her neck from the hideous slash she had received from his long talons.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha roared and snarled towards her attacker. "YOU'RE GONNA TO PAY FOR THAT!" He took off towards the youkai but was then attacked by Sesshomaru. "Not now Sesshomaru!"

The taiyoukai ignored his younger half-brother and then struck the youkai that possessed jewel shards with his poisonous talons, the sickly green flowing from his fingers into the beast. While Sesshomaru was distracting the other youkai, Inuyasha yelled down to the girls, "Get the hell out of here, girl! Take Kagome with you!" He then let out a gasp when both Sesshomaru and the youkai that had nearly raped Kyoko were double teaming him.

Kyoko helped Kagome up and looked her over. "Ya gonna be aw-right, Kagome?" She asked, ignoring her own already inflicted and healing injuries. Kagome nodded and pressed her hand to the gash in her neck.

"I'll be fine now let's get out of here," _Even though I don't like the idea of Inuyasha being all by himself with Sesshomaru and that other youkai that has jewel shards fighting him!_ She thought as the two of them ran where Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Shippo were out of the way.

. . .

So... How was that for a first chapter? Reviews please'ms.


	2. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two:**_

****

"Sesshomaru! What the hell are you doin' here anyway?" Inuyasha yelled as he blocked the attacks coming from his other opponent in the three-way battle they were fighting out. He bit back a stream of curses as he was struck on the wrist in his attempt to dodge the claws that kept flying at him.

The taiyoukai brushed past both of them, releasing a wave of poison towards his half brother and the other youkai. Inuyasha held his breath and leapt backwards to avoid the miasmas gas but the youkai with jewel shards was not prepared for it. He inhaled the toxins and started to hack.

"I am here because you came to my lands without my knowledge. I was here merely to clear you all from the Western Lands and I am going to take back what is rightfully mine, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru called over to the half-breed who now had blood trailing down his arm and his torso while he himself remained untouched. Smirking, he drove his hand into the jewel shard possessing youkai's chest to stop his heart but the beast stopped him by mirroring the same attack.

The purebred Inuyoukai was not prepared for such a maneuver, if such a thing were possible, and he did not have enough time to dodge. The bastard's talons slashed across his chest, breaking his armor and tearing at his kimono top. Blood, thick and red flowed down his body. Sesshomaru snarled, his eyes tinting red but he kept his anger in check.

Inuyasha, now balanced, jumped back into the battle next to his half brother, blocking the youkai who had tried to rape Kyoko's attacks. Sesshomaru kept glaring at him out of the corner of his elegant eyes but paid no mind to the half-breed who was fighting along side of him, actually helping. Then, ruining the perfect teamwork that they had begun, Sesshomaru tried to attack Inuyasha and then turn to his other opponent within the blink of an eye. Too bad the youkai had 2 jewel shards...

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in pain as a hand pierced his flesh and went all the way through his abdomen to the other side. He choked a bit in disbelief. Kami-sama he was in a lot of pain! _I am such a careless fool! I let my guard down for a split second and..._ This youkai had no right to touch him. He had had enough. His eyes glowed bright red as he growled, deeply guttural, in his throat.

Inuyasha took advantage of the chaos and sliced the youkai's arm that was in Sesshomaru's body off and then his head. Its body fell in disarray around the clearing in the forest, pools of blood everywhere. In the deepest pool of red blood, two jewel shards lay tainted. Inuyasha looked over to his half brother whose eyes were red with malice and the wind started to pick up slightly. It gave him the chills.

_I've got to get Kagome. She needs to get the jewel shards before the youkai regenerates!_ The hanyou thought, sheathing the tetsusaiga and temporarily forgetting about his brother who made an attempt to slice his head off. Luckily he was a bit slower from his injuries and Inuyasha had time to redraw his sword and fend him off, sending him backwards into a tree. Then, like the devils were at his heels, the hanyou sped off to go and find the miko who would be able to purify the jewel shards.

"So this youkai attempted to rape you?" Sango asked, bandaging up the last of Kyoko's wounds. The young woman nodded and proceeded on with her storytelling.

"Yep and I wuz real scared too. I mean, how would ya feel if any man come and touched ya and made ya felt threatened?" She replied and watched as Miroku slid up against the wall more so as if he was feeling discomfort.

"Oh, I know the feeling all too well, Kyoko," Sango answered, her eyes narrowing in the direction of the houshi. He just sighed and his cheeks flared slightly. Kagome giggled. "Is your neck alright, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked her best friend, and was pleased to see her nod lightly.

"KAGOME!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed at hearing his desperate cry. She nearly dropped Shippo but he sensed that she was going to jump at the sound of his voice and ran to Kyoko's lap instead. "What is it-"

"We gotta go! Before that youkai regenerates and before Sessho-"

"Looking for me?" A deep and cultured voice said and appeared behind Kagome in the blink of an eye. She turned and gasped when she saw the gaping hole in his stomach and all the other flesh wounds he had on his body.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha shouted and pulled Kagome onto his back, dodging the poisonous talons that were flying at him while he was trying to run towards the place where he had slain the youkai that had had jewel shards. _I'm lucky he's injured or Kagome and me would be dead by now!_

Sesshomaru could feel himself slow greatly and felt dizzy. _Impossible! I do not get dizzy..._ He told himself before everything went black.

Kagome and Inuyasha's heads both turned as the sound of something slamming into the ground. "Whoa! What's with Sesshomaru?" The teenage girl asked.

"I bet you anything that idiot lost so much blood from chasin' me that he knocked himself out," Inuyasha replied in faint amusement and touched down on the ground in front of the blood that contained the jewel shards. "Quick! Get them! The youkai's startin' to regenerate!" The hanyou yelled at Kagome.

"Gotcha!" Kagome answered and picked up the shards quickly, and smiled when they turned to a pure pink in her hand. "There ya go! Jewel shards purified!" She giggled but stopped when she noticed her companion's wounds. "Oh kami-sama! Inuyasha, are you alright?" She asked and looked his injuries over. They weren't anything much. He would just need them disinfected.

Inuyasha looked up at the sky, sighing but then heard Kagome walking behind him. "Kagome? What're you-" His expression went blank and his eyes widened. Then, something inside snapped. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU _DOING_??? THAT'S SESSHOMARU! DON'T YOU DARE THINK ABOUT TRYING TO HELP HIM!"

"Inuyasha! He's a living thing too! Nothing should die without good reason!" Kagome replied neutrally, knowing how much Inuyasha disliked his older half-sibling. "Besides! He did help to fight off that youkai... I guess..." she added, looking around in slight nervousness.

"It'd be a great reason if he died! A lot of mortals and youkai would still be living ya know!" He argued and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Well, if you're gonna heal him, I'm not helping you carry him back."

"Fine! I don't need your help!" Kagome snapped and attempted to lift the heavy and unconscious taiyoukai off the ground, only to have her knees cave in. "Kami-sama! He's a lot heavier than he looks!" She grunted, a sweat breaking out on her forehead. Inuyasha watched her in an entertained manner, stunned by her softhearted demeanor.

_She's even willing to help someone who has tried to kill her countless times. I wish I could do the same. I wish I didn't bear such a grudge against Sesshomaru. I've always wanted things to be different..._

"Inuyasha, I know you two haven't had the best past or the best brother brother relationship, but do you really want to see him die? Could you let your brother die knowing you could have helped him?"

Inuyasha considered her words. They sunk in deep. _Damn it, Kagome!_ He looked down once but then moped over slowly and heaved Sesshomaru over his shoulder. "Good Kami-sama! He does weigh a ton!" Inuyasha wheezed lightly and looked over to Kagome seeing her smile sweetly at him. He blushed and his heart sped up a little bit as she took his free hand and they walked back to cave where Miroku, Sango, Kyoko, Kirara and Shippo were.

(A/N: THIS IS NOT SESS/KAG! She's just doing the honorable thing! Could you let your enemy die knowing they still had a chance at life and it was in your hands? I know I couldn't, but maybe that's just me...)


End file.
